Elephant Rumblings: A’s, Lawrence Butler begin extension negotiations

MLB news roundup

Welcome to Thursday A’s fans. Just a couple more days until baseball is officially back!

The team has slowly but surely rebuilt its homegrown position-player core since their last playoff drive. There are young, athletic, and exciting players on the major league team already and more should be on the way over the coming years. We’re seeing these guys turning into cornerstone players for the next A’s playoff team right before our very eyes, a situation that A’s fans are used to seeing but also some of the best parts of being a fan of this club. There have even been rumblings all winter that the Athletics could look to start extending those cornerstone people. They’ve already locked up manager Mark Kotsay and All-Star DH Brent Rooker for the foreseeable future and with how much the front office has opened up their pocket book this offseason there was hope that the team would begin extension talks with the young guys coming up.

Late last night we got word that the club is finally moving in that direction, with Evan Drellich of The New York Times reporting that the team and outfielder Lawrence Butler have begun exploratory extension talks:

This would be a massive coup for the A’s to lock in what looks like a budding regular All-Star right fielder. The 24-year old is coming off his first major action in the major leagues that included a ridiculous second-half at the plate. Butler struggled mightily in the first-half and was demoted but found his way back to the club permanently in June. In 84 games after being recalled from Triple-A, Butler slashed an incredible .291/.330/.565 with 20 home runs. That’s borderline 40-homer power right there. He even added 18 steals over the course of the entire season, showcasing a tantalizing combination of power and speed that A’s fans will get to see on a regular basis this upcoming year.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon Butler sounded more than open to the idea of inking a contract before even playing a full season in the major leagues:

“Hey, whatever the organization chooses to do, I’m happy with it,” Butler said Wednesday in the A’s clubhouse when asked about the possibility of an extension. “I love being here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to play here. So, yeah, no comment on that.”

Butler is under contract via arbitration for another five seasons, so the team at least has time. That said, the longer they wait to work out an extension for Butler the more money he’ll likely cost if he keeps up his second-half performance over an entire season, even if half of his games are in a minor league park. There’s a wide range of comps for Butler but the early speculation is that the team could secure Butler’s signiature with around a 7-year, $55 million contract, which would be the 4th-largest in Athletics history behind the recently-signed Luis Severino (3-years, $67 million), former All-Star third baseman Eric Chavez (6-years, $66 million) and of course Rooker (5-years, $60 million). The lefty-swinging Butler has got one big fan of his in the clubhouse from the guy who’s already secured his bag:

“Lawrence Butler is, if he’s not already a superstar, he’s on his way to being one,” said Rooker, who hit 39 home runs for the A’s in 2024. “He’s got all the ability in the world. He’s exciting to watch. He’s crazy talented. He puts together incredible at-bats, and he’s only getting better.”

Furthermore, General Manager David Forst spilled that he’s engaged in contract talks with other young players on the roster at the moment as well, though he didn’t reveal any names when stating that tidbit. While Butler is the name that consistently came up as an extension candidate this winter, other players on the roster like Shea Langeliers, Mason Miller, Zack Gelof, JP Sears, JJ Bleday, and maybe even Jacob Wilson could find themselves getting a contract offer from the big league club soon. While that prospect of locking up the young core is encouraging, it’s sad that the club had to leave Oakland before owner John Fisher authorized spending money. Sigh.

Have an excellent Thursday everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• Driveline Interview With Kyle Boddy: Coming Soon...
• Beyond their ballpark drama, could the A’s actually be good in 2025? ($)
• Royals sign former Athletic Ross Stripling to minor league deal
• Rockies sign former A’s reliever Scott Alexander to 1-year deal

MLB News & Interest:

• Alex Bregman dispels Rafael Devers- 3B drama: “I’ll play wherever”
• Guardians sign former O’s starter John Means to 1-year deal with option for ‘26
• Nationals bring in relief help, sign Lucas Sims to 1-year deal
• Blue Jays’ George Springer to share leadoff duties, see time in left field
• Latest on Brewers’ infield alignment
• In a Vlad Jr. free agency frenzy, who are the likely suitors and front runners?
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

First look at Severino in the Green & Gold:

Star prospect Jacob Wilson should be primed for a big year:

An intriguing prospect is back and healthy again:

Glad to have her back!